Born on this day is former USA international Claudio Reyna. The midfielder arrived on Wearside from Rangers for £4 million, signing for Peter Reid’s men in the Premier League.
Reyna scored on his home debut, the only goal in a 1-0 win over Everton. Captain America was a key player in the side, scoring two superb long-range efforts in the first 17 minutes. It could have been a hat trick too, with the American midfielder smashing a volley against the post.
However, Sunderland were relegated the following season, with Reid being replaced by Howard Wilkinson. In Wilkinson’s second match in charge, Reyna suffered a season-ending injury. It was just the 11th match of the season in a 1-1 draw with Bolton.
In the following summer, Reyna departed for Manchester City where he spent four seasons in the Premier League. He impressed there despite recurring injury problems which caused him to miss six months of the 2004-05 season.
In total he made 87 appearances City, scoring four goals. He was a popular player amongst fans, but manager Stuart Pearce decided to terminate his contract in January 2007, allowing the player to move to America for personal reasons.
His son Giovanni, named after Claudio's former Rangers teammate Giovanni van Bronckhorst, was born in Sunderland but grew up in America. He came through the New York City FC academy before moving to Borussia Dortmund. He is very highly thought of in Germany and is already a full USA international at just 18 years old.
